Conflict catalog

1955 Vietnam War: Weapons and Equipment

Cold War-era war in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. This catalog is present because import workflows supplied source-backed F-5 combat-use evidence for the conflict.

The 1955 Vietnam War was a prolonged conflict involving South Vietnam, the United States, North Vietnam, the Viet Cong, and allied forces across Vietnam and nearby theaters.

This catalog tracks weapon systems directly documented in 1955 Vietnam War use.

Entries should be limited to systems with direct conflict-use sourcing.

75 weapon systems

Conflict Actors

United States and South Vietnam / North Vietnam and Viet Cong

United States and South Vietnam

56 weapon systems in this catalog
  • United States and South Vietnam

North Vietnam and Viet Cong

20 weapon systems in this catalog
  • North Vietnam and Viet Cong

Context

Status
Published catalog
Domains
land, air, maritime

Weapons

1955 Vietnam War Weapon Systems

Category

Aircraft & UAVs

Crewed aircraft, drones, and loitering munitions.

8/18
M61A1 Vulcan cannon, 20mm aircraft cannon, Aircraft & UAVsAircraft & UAVsM61A1 Vulcan cannon20mm aircraft cannonSide: United States and South VietnamRole: UnknownBuilt: General Electric / General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems / United StatesThe M61A1 Vulcan cannon is a U.S.-origin six-barrel 20 mm Gatling aircraft gun developed from the Project Vulcan line and originally associated with General Electric. Official Air Force material describes the M61A1 as a high-rate rotary cannon driven by electrical, hydraulic, or ram-air systems, museum and DVIDS-hosted Air Force history sources document M61/M61A1 use by F-105 Thunderchiefs during the Vietnam War, and UNITED24 Media reported Ukrainian F-16 gunfire against Russian cruise missiles in 2024. General Dynamics material presents the related M61A2 as a lighter M61A1-family version for weight-critical aircraft installations.
M195 20mm automatic gun, 20mm helicopter rotary cannon, Aircraft & UAVsAircraft & UAVsM195 20mm automatic gun20mm helicopter rotary cannonSide: United States and South VietnamRole: AH-1G Cobra side-mounted suppressive-fire cannonBuilt: General Electric / United StatesThe M195 was a short-barreled 20 mm Vulcan-family automatic gun adapted for the AH-1G Cobra's XM35/M35 side-mounted helicopter armament subsystem. U.S. Army and General Electric program records tie the gun to 1968-1970 XM35 testing and production qualification, while Vietnam-unit accounts and Army historical material place the M35 installation on AH-1G Cobras used for long-range suppressive fire and escort/fire-support missions.
Sikorsky SH-3 Sea King, Anti-submarine warfare and utility helicopter, Aircraft & UAVsAircraft & UAVsSikorsky SH-3 Sea KingAnti-submarine warfare and utility helicopterSide: United States and South VietnamRole: Carrier-based combat search and rescueBuilt: Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation / United StatesThe Sikorsky SH-3 Sea King is the U.S. Navy H-3/S-61 maritime helicopter family built around twin turboshaft engines, an amphibious boat hull, dipping sonar, and carrier-deck folding features. Designed as a Cold War anti-submarine platform, it also became a rescue, utility, minesweeping, astronaut-recovery, and presidential-transport airframe, with direct Vietnam War combat-search-and-rescue documentation and later U.S. Navy service lasting until the last operational UH-3H retirement in 2009.
F-14 Tomcat, Carrier-based air superiority fighter, Aircraft & UAVsAircraft & UAVsF-14 TomcatCarrier-based air superiority fighterSide: United States and South VietnamRole: Protective patrol and evacuation escortBuilt: Grumman Corporation / United StatesThe Grumman F-14 Tomcat was a carrier-based, two-seat, variable-sweep-wing fighter built for U.S. Navy fleet defense and later adapted for strike, reconnaissance, and targeting missions. Its long-range radar-and-missile concept shaped Cold War carrier air defense, while later F-14B and F-14D upgrades kept the type in combat from the Gulf of Sidra through Iraq, Afghanistan, and Iran's surviving fleet in the 2026 Iran War.
A-4 Skyhawk, Carrier-based light attack aircraft, Aircraft & UAVsAircraft & UAVsA-4 SkyhawkCarrier-based light attack aircraftSide: United States and South VietnamRole: Light attackBuilt: Douglas Aircraft Company / McDonnell Douglas / United StatesThe Douglas A-4 Skyhawk is a compact United States carrier-based attack aircraft designed by Ed Heinemann for the Navy and Marine Corps. Built by Douglas and later McDonnell Douglas, it became a long-lived light-attack platform with documented combat use in Vietnam, the Middle East, the Falklands, East Timor, and the 1990 Gulf War.
CH-47 Chinook helicopter, Heavy-lift transport helicopter, Aircraft & UAVsAircraft & UAVsCH-47 Chinook helicopterHeavy-lift transport helicopterSide: United States and South VietnamRole: UnknownBuilt: Boeing / United StatesThe Boeing CH-47 Chinook is a U.S. tandem-rotor heavy-lift transport helicopter family used for cargo, troop movement, casualty evacuation, aircraft recovery, and special operations. Official and archival records place Chinooks in Vietnam, the Falklands, Afghanistan, and Iraq, where the type's rear ramp, external sling-load capacity, and high-altitude lift made it a recurring battlefield mobility asset.
U-2 Dragon Lady, High-altitude reconnaissance aircraft, Aircraft & UAVsAircraft & UAVsU-2 Dragon LadyHigh-altitude reconnaissance aircraftSide: United States and South VietnamRole: High-altitude reconnaissanceBuilt: Lockheed Martin / Skunk Works / United StatesThe Lockheed U-2 Dragon Lady is a high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft built by Lockheed Martin Aeronautics' Skunk Works for imagery, signals, electronic, and measurement intelligence. First flown in 1955, it moved from covert Cold War overflights into wartime ISR over Vietnam, the Gulf, Kosovo, Afghanistan, Iraq, and later U.S.-Iran operations, with modern U-2S aircraft using the GE F118 engine and large modular sensor payloads.
Shenyang J-5/J-6, Jet fighter family, Aircraft & UAVsAircraft & UAVsShenyang J-5/J-6Jet fighter familySide: North Vietnam and Viet CongRole: InterceptorBuilt: Shenyang Aircraft Corporation / Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group / Nanchang Aircraft Company / ChinaShenyang J-5/J-6 covers two Chinese-built fighter lines derived from Soviet designs: the J-5/F-5 from the MiG-17 and the J-6/F-6 from the MiG-19. The J-5 gave China a mass-produced jet fighter, while the J-6 became a supersonic export family used for air defense, training, reconnaissance, and tactical attack.
10 remaining

Category

Air Defense

Systems that contest aircraft, missiles, helicopters, and drones.

5/5
ZPU-4 anti-aircraft gun, 14.5 mm quadruple towed anti-aircraft gun, Air DefenseAir DefenseZPU-4 anti-aircraft gun14.5 mm quadruple towed anti-aircraft gunSide: North Vietnam and Viet CongRole: North Vietnamese low-altitude air-defense gunBuilt: V. A. Degtyarev Plant (ZiD) / Various manufacturers / Soviet Union / Russia / China / Romania / North KoreaThe ZPU-4 is a Soviet quadruple 14.5 mm anti-aircraft gun built around four KPV/KPVT heavy machine guns on a four-wheel carriage. Museum, monitoring, and open-source records connect the Cold War gun to Vietnam War helicopter defense, Iraqi air defense, Libyan and Syrian pickup-mounted fire support, SPLA-N-held anti-aircraft positions in Sudan, and anti-Houthi Giants Brigades forces in Yemen.
S-75 Dvina / SA-2 Guideline, High-altitude surface-to-air missile system, Air DefenseAir DefenseS-75 Dvina / SA-2 GuidelineHigh-altitude surface-to-air missile systemSide: North Vietnam and Viet CongRole: North Vietnamese high-altitude air defense and SAM-site threatBuilt: Soviet state defense industry / Soviet UnionThe S-75 Dvina, known to NATO as the SA-2 Guideline, is a Soviet command-guided surface-to-air missile system built around V-750/V-755 missiles, single-rail launchers, Spoon Rest acquisition radar, and Fan Song guidance radar. It became a defining Cold War high-altitude air-defense system in Vietnam and Arab-Israeli wars, where fixed SAM sites shaped strike planning and suppression tactics. In Yemen, surviving S-75 missile stocks reappeared less as intact air-defense batteries than as source missiles for Houthi-aligned Qaher and Muhit strike conversions.
S-60, Towed 57 mm anti-aircraft gun, Air DefenseAir DefenseS-60Towed 57 mm anti-aircraft gunSide: North Vietnam and Viet CongRole: Medium-altitude anti-aircraft artilleryBuilt: Plant No. 4 named after Voroshilov, Krasnoyarsk / Soviet UnionThe S-60 is a Soviet 57 mm towed anti-aircraft gun adopted in 1950 for low- and medium-altitude air defense. North Vietnamese crews used S-60 guns as part of radar-controlled anti-aircraft defenses in the Vietnam War, and later Armenian/Artsakh, Ukrainian, and Syrian examples show the same gun family repurposed on MT-LB or truck mounts for mobile direct fire and counter-UAV work.
100 mm KS-19 anti-aircraft gun, Towed 100 mm anti-aircraft gun, Air DefenseAir Defense100 mm KS-19 anti-aircraft gunTowed 100 mm anti-aircraft gunSide: North Vietnam and Viet CongRole: North Vietnamese radar-directed heavy anti-aircraft artilleryBuilt: Plant No. 4 Perm / Soviet state arsenals, including Plant No. 8 and Plant No. 235 / Soviet UnionThe KS-19 is a Soviet 100 mm towed anti-aircraft gun designed for high-altitude, radar-directed air defense with fixed ammunition, a powered carriage, and PUAZO/SON-9 fire-control support. U.S. studies tied the gun to North Vietnam's heavy AAA network and Iraqi inventories retained it into the 1990 Gulf War, while later conflict records show legacy KS-19s displayed in Houthi air-defense equipment and repurposed as long-range ground-fire weapons in Nagorno-Karabakh and Ukraine.
P-35/P-37 Bar Lock radar, Transportable 2D air-surveillance and GCI radar, Air DefenseAir DefenseP-35/P-37 Bar Lock radarTransportable 2D air-surveillance and GCI radarSide: North Vietnam and Viet CongRole: UnknownBuilt: Soviet / Soviet UnionThe P-35/P-37 Bar Lock family is a Soviet transportable two-coordinate radar line used for air surveillance, fighter guidance, and target assignment to air-defense missile systems. The family links the 1RL110 P-35 Saturn and later 1RL139 P-37 Mech designations, with documented use from North Vietnam's air-defense network, Syria's T4 airbase, and Iraq's 1991 IADS to Russian and Ukrainian radar losses or targeting in the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War; open air-defense references also place P-35M/Bar Lock search radar in S-200/SA-5 site architecture.

Category

Armored Vehicles

Troop carriers, infantry fighting vehicles, and protected mobility.

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M113, Armored personnel carrier, Armored VehiclesArmored VehiclesM113Armored personnel carrierSide: United States and South VietnamRole: Mechanized infantry carrier and ACAV assault vehicleBuilt: FMC / BAE Systems / United StatesA lightweight tracked armored personnel carrier that became a long-lived family of troop, command, mortar, medical, missile, and field-conversion vehicles. Its use spans Vietnam-era ACAV combat adaptations, Desert Storm coalition service, U.S. and partner-supplied Ukrainian evacuation and mobility vehicles, Israeli remote explosive conversions in Gaza, Egyptian M113s under IED threat in Sinai, Yemen service, and captured Iraqi Army vehicles used by Islamic State.
M106 mortar carrier, Tracked 107 mm self-propelled mortar carrier, Armored VehiclesArmored VehiclesM106 mortar carrierTracked 107 mm self-propelled mortar carrierSide: United States and South VietnamRole: Tracked mortar fire supportBuilt: FMC / United StatesThe M106 is a U.S. M113-family tracked mortar carrier built around the 4.2-inch / 107 mm M30 mortar. Technical-manual material describes the M106A2 as carrying the M30 on a turntable that could fire from inside the vehicle or be removed for off-vehicle ground-baseplate firing, while a public-domain U.S. Army image directly documents an M106 mortar carrier firing in Vietnam.

Category

Artillery

Tube artillery, rocket artillery, and long-range ground fires.

8/14
D-44, 85 mm towed field gun, ArtilleryArtilleryD-4485 mm towed field gunSide: North Vietnam and Viet CongRole: Enemy tube artillery during the 1972 Nguyen Hue OffensiveBuilt: No. 9 Uralmashzavod / Soviet UnionThe D-44 is a Soviet 85 mm divisional field gun from the No. 9 Uralmashzavod design line, developed after World War II as a replacement for the 76 mm ZiS-3. Its long postwar life spans Type 56 licensed production, North Vietnamese artillery use in 1972, and modern Russia-Ukraine War appearances as both a towed gun and an improvised MT-LB-mounted fire-support weapon.
M102 105 mm Howitzer, 105 mm lightweight towed howitzer, ArtilleryArtilleryM102 105 mm Howitzer105 mm lightweight towed howitzerSide: United States and South VietnamRole: Air-mobile and fire-base artillery supportBuilt: Rock Island Arsenal / United StatesThe M102 is a U.S. 105 mm lightweight towed howitzer developed at Rock Island Arsenal for airborne, air-assault, and light-infantry artillery units. It replaced heavier M101A1 guns in Vietnam, used a low aluminum carriage with 360-degree traverse, and later remained visible through Gulf War, Iraq War, and AC-130 gunship service after Army field artillery units transitioned to the M119.
M101 105 mm Howitzer, 105 mm towed field howitzer, ArtilleryArtilleryM101 105 mm Howitzer105 mm towed field howitzerSide: United States and South VietnamRole: Light artillery fire supportBuilt: Rock Island Arsenal / United StatesThe M101 is a U.S.-origin 105 mm towed field howitzer descended from the wartime M2A1, produced at Rock Island Arsenal and exported widely after U.S. service. Its split-trail carriage, semi-fixed 105 mm ammunition family, and later 33-caliber modernization packages kept the gun useful from 1955 Vietnam War fire bases to Philippine urban direct-fire missions and Lithuanian-donated M101A1 guns in Ukrainian service.
OTO Melara Mod 56, 105 mm towed pack howitzer, ArtilleryArtilleryOTO Melara Mod 56105 mm towed pack howitzerSide: United States and South VietnamRole: Australian fire-support howitzerBuilt: OTO Melara / ItalyThe OTO Melara Mod 56 is an Italian 105 mm pack howitzer built for light, mountain, and airborne artillery. It breaks down into packable loads, fires standard 105 mm ammunition, and became widely exported under designations including the British/Commonwealth L5; documented conflict use ranges from Vietnam, Borneo, and the Falklands to Spanish-supplied guns in Ukraine and captured or improvised Boko Haram systems in Nigeria.
PM-43, 120 mm towed heavy mortar, ArtilleryArtilleryPM-43120 mm towed heavy mortarSide: North Vietnam and Viet CongRole: Heavy mortar fire supportBuilt: Soviet state arsenals / Soviet UnionThe PM-43 is a Soviet 120 mm smoothbore heavy mortar, introduced in 1943 as a wartime development of the PM-38 and kept in service through exports, local copies, and legacy stocks. Direct conflict references place the M-43/PM-43 family with North Vietnamese forces in Vietnam, in Syrian Civil War mortar inventories, with Haftar-aligned forces in Libya, and in a Russian-controlled area of Luhansk during the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War.
D-74 122 mm field gun, 122 mm towed field gun, ArtilleryArtilleryD-74 122 mm field gun122 mm towed field gunSide: North Vietnam and Viet CongRole: North Vietnamese long-range artilleryBuilt: No. 9 Uralmashzavod / Soviet UnionThe D-74 is a Soviet 122 mm towed field gun from the F. F. Petrov design lineage at No. 9 Uralmashzavod. It paired a long 52/53-caliber barrel with a split-trail carriage shared with the D-20, offered more range than common 122 mm howitzers, and was exported or copied as the Chinese Type 60 before documented appearances with North Vietnamese, Syrian, and Russian forces.
6 remaining

Category

Electronic Warfare

Systems built to sense, relay, jam, deceive, or attack electromagnetic networks.

1/1
AN/ALQ-87 electronic countermeasures pod, Electronic countermeasures pod, Electronic WarfareElectronic WarfareAN/ALQ-87 electronic countermeasures podElectronic countermeasures podSide: United States and South VietnamRole: Aircraft self-protection radar jammingBuilt: General Electric / United StatesThe AN/ALQ-87 was a General Electric electronic countermeasures pod, originally designated QRC-160-8, that gave 1955 Vietnam War strike aircraft a podded radar-jamming option against radar-guided air defenses. U.S. Air Force history ties the pod to late-1967 combat introduction, broad 1968 strike-aircraft use, and F-111A Linebacker operations, while the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force displays an F-4C 1967 loadout with one ALQ-87 on the right inboard pylon.

Category

Infantry Weapons

Portable weapons used by soldiers and small units.

8/14
M14, 7.62 mm battle rifle, Infantry WeaponsInfantry WeaponsM147.62 mm battle rifleSide: United States and South VietnamRole: U.S. and Marine Corps battle rifleBuilt: Springfield Armory / Winchester / Harrington & Richardson / Thompson-Ramo-Wooldridge / United StatesThe M14 is a U.S.-origin 7.62x51 mm NATO battle rifle developed from the M1 Garand lineage and fielded by U.S. and Marine Corps forces in Vietnam before later marksman variants kept the family in service. Direct conflict evidence in this entry ranges from Vietnam-era Marine small-unit use to M21 and M14 EBR employment in Iraq and Afghanistan and recovered insurgent rifles in Nigeria and Marawi.
M60 general-purpose machine gun, 7.62 mm general-purpose machine gun, Infantry WeaponsInfantry WeaponsM60 general-purpose machine gun7.62 mm general-purpose machine gunSide: United States and South VietnamRole: Infantry squad and patrol machine-gun fire supportBuilt: Saco Defense / Maremont / U.S. Ordnance / United StatesThe M60 is a U.S.-origin 7.62x51 mm NATO belt-fed general-purpose machine gun built for ground, tripod, vehicle, and aircraft-mounted fire support. U.S. records document M60 use from Vietnam through Iraq and Afghanistan, while later conflict reporting shows legacy guns turning up with non-state armed groups in Nigeria, Colombia, and Haiti.
M134 Minigun, 7.62 mm minigun, Infantry WeaponsInfantry WeaponsM134 Minigun7.62 mm minigunSide: United States and South VietnamRole: Helicopter and gunship fire supportBuilt: General Electric / Dillon Aero / United StatesThe M134 Minigun is a U.S.-origin 7.62x51 mm electrically driven six-barrel rotary machine gun developed by General Electric and fielded on helicopter and gunship armament subsystems during the Vietnam War. Later GAU-17/A and M134D-family installations kept the same high-density fire concept on helicopters, boats, vehicles, and rescue-aircraft mounts, including FN Herstal's HH-60W external mounted gun system compatibility.
MG 34, 7.92 mm general-purpose machine gun, Infantry WeaponsInfantry WeaponsMG 347.92 mm general-purpose machine gunSide: North Vietnam and Viet CongRole: Enemy machine gun documented in South VietnamBuilt: Waffenwerke Brunn / Nazi Germany / German-occupied CzechoslovakiaThe MG 34 was a German 7.92 mm general-purpose machine gun developed in the early 1930s and adopted as a standard infantry weapon before the Second World War. U.S. War Department manuals treated it as Germany's original standard dual-purpose machine gun, usable from bipods, tripods, antiaircraft mounts, and armored-vehicle installations; a 1968 Fleet Marine Force Pacific guide also listed the German MG 34 among enemy weapons captured in South Vietnam.
Remington M870, 12-gauge pump-action shotgun, Infantry WeaponsInfantry WeaponsRemington M87012-gauge pump-action shotgunSide: United States and South VietnamRole: UnknownBuilt: Remington Firearms (RemArms) / United StatesThe Remington M870 is the military and police designation context for the Remington Model 870, a U.S. pump-action shotgun introduced in 1950. Sourced records document Vietnam-era U.S. combat-shotgun service, Desert Storm boarding-team use, and an Operation Enduring Freedom presence at Kandahar, while manufacturer and agency sources also show the same family in breaching and less-lethal 12-gauge roles.
DShK, 12.7 mm heavy machine gun, Infantry WeaponsInfantry WeaponsDShK12.7 mm heavy machine gunSide: North Vietnam and Viet CongRole: Anti-aircraft heavy machine-gun fire against helicoptersBuilt: Tula Ordnance Factory / Soviet state arsenals / Soviet UnionThe DShK is a Soviet 12.7 mm heavy machine gun designed by Vasily Degtyaryov and refined with Georgy Shpagin's belt-feed system. Built for anti-aircraft, anti-vehicle, and infantry support roles, the DShK/DShKM family spans Vietnam War helicopter defense, Soviet-Afghan War ambushes, modern technicals, and Ukrainian mobile counter-UAV teams using vintage heavy machine guns against slow Russian drones.
DShKM heavy machine gun, 12.7 mm heavy machine gun, Infantry WeaponsInfantry WeaponsDShKM heavy machine gun12.7 mm heavy machine gunSide: North Vietnam and Viet CongRole: Low-altitude anti-aircraft and infantry-support heavy machine gunBuilt: Tula Ordnance Factory / Soviet state arsenals / Soviet UnionThe DShKM is the Soviet postwar Model 38/46 modernization of the DShK 12.7 mm heavy machine gun, retaining the DShK family's anti-aircraft, infantry-support, and vehicle-mount roles while replacing the earlier feed system. Sources document the DShK-1938/46 in Vietnam War anti-aircraft use, DShK-M capture and employment in the Soviet-Afghan War, DShK-M use by Ukrainian defenders, and DShK/DShKM variants in Islamic State's Iraq-and-Syria arsenal.
M40 106 mm recoilless rifle, 106 mm crew-served recoilless rifle, Infantry WeaponsInfantry WeaponsM40 106 mm recoilless rifle106 mm crew-served recoilless rifleSide: United States and South VietnamRole: Vehicle-mounted direct fire supportBuilt: Watervliet Arsenal / United StatesThe M40 106 mm recoilless rifle is a U.S.-origin crew-served direct-fire weapon built around a 105 mm-class round but commonly identified by its 106 mm designation. It served on ground carriages and vehicle mounts such as the M50 Ontos, remained useful for anti-armor and bunker work after newer missiles appeared, and is documented in conflicts from Vietnam to Libya, Mali, Syria, and Afghanistan.
6 remaining

Category

Munitions

Standalone missiles, bombs, rockets, torpedoes, and guided or unguided explosive payloads.

8/18
Mk 84 Mod 4 2,000-pound unguided bomb, 2,000-pound unguided general-purpose bomb, MunitionsMunitionsMk 84 Mod 4 2,000-pound unguided bomb2,000-pound unguided general-purpose bombSide: United States and South VietnamRole: Heavy air-delivered strike bombBuilt: General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems / United StatesThe Mk 84 Mod 4 is a U.S. 2,000-pound Mark 80-series general-purpose bomb body, used as a heavy unguided air-delivered strike weapon and as the body for JDAM, Paveway, SPICE, and other guided configurations. Sources tie Mk 84-class bombs to U.S. air operations in Vietnam, Kosovo, Desert Storm, and Afghanistan, Saudi-led coalition airstrikes in Yemen, and Israeli heavy-bomb use in Gaza.
Mark 81 bomb, 250-pound general-purpose bomb, MunitionsMunitionsMark 81 bomb250-pound general-purpose bombSide: United States and South VietnamRole: UnknownBuilt: General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems / United StatesThe Mark 81 bomb is a U.S. 250-pound-class general-purpose aircraft bomb produced by General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems. Current technical listings give its 115 kg body weight, 1,180 mm length, about 228 mm diameter, TNT filler, and multiple fuze families; image evidence ties Mk 81 bombs to U.S. Navy use over Vietnam and Afghan A-29 operations.
M117 750-pound unguided bomb, 750-pound unguided general-purpose bomb, MunitionsMunitionsM117 750-pound unguided bomb750-pound unguided general-purpose bombSide: United States and South VietnamRole: B-52-delivered unguided strike bombBuilt: U.S. military ordnance contractors / United StatesThe M117 is a U.S.-origin 750-pound-class general-purpose unguided bomb from the mid-1950s, with documented B-52 use in the Vietnam War and Desert Storm and later Israeli F-16 carriage imagery during the 2023 Israel-Hamas War. Its family included standard low-drag bodies, retarded-tail M117R bombs, and M117D destructor configurations for ground or shallow-water mining.
Mk 82 500-pound unguided bomb, Air-delivered 500-pound low-drag general-purpose bomb, MunitionsMunitionsMk 82 500-pound unguided bombAir-delivered 500-pound low-drag general-purpose bombSide: United States and South VietnamRole: Low-altitude close-air-support bombBuilt: General Dynamics / United StatesThe Mk 82 is the U.S. Mark 80-series 500-pound low-drag general-purpose bomb. Developed in the 1950s to reduce drag, it has been documented from Vietnam and Desert Storm through NATO's Kosovo air campaign, Operation Iraqi Freedom, Yemen, Gaza, and Marawi, and it remains important as both a free-fall bomb and the body for guided derivatives such as GBU-12 and GBU-38 JDAM.
Mk 20 Rockeye II cluster bomb, Air-dropped anti-armor cluster bomb, MunitionsMunitionsMk 20 Rockeye II cluster bombAir-dropped anti-armor cluster bombSide: United States and South VietnamRole: Air-delivered anti-armor cluster munitionBuilt: Honeywell Incorporated / United StatesThe Mk 20 Rockeye II is a U.S. free-fall cluster bomb built around a Mk 7 dispenser, a Mk 339 mechanical time fuze, and 247 Mk 118 shaped-charge bomblets. Fielded in 1968 for attacks on armored and area targets, the Rockeye family is directly documented in U.S. and NATO air operations from Vietnam through Desert Storm, the 1986 U.S.-Libya confrontations, and Operation Allied Force.
LUU-2 illuminating flare, air-launched illumination flare, MunitionsMunitionsLUU-2 illuminating flareair-launched illumination flareSide: United States and South VietnamRole: UnknownBuilt: Alliant Techsystems / Magellan Aerospace / United States / CanadaThe LUU-2 illuminating flare is a U.S.-origin, air-launched parachute flare family used for visible nighttime illumination from aircraft. Air Force manuals describe LUU-2/B and LUU-2A/B flares as 36-inch, roughly five-minute, 2-million-candlepower stores, U.S. procurement records describe later LUU-2D/B construction, and Magellan Aerospace manufactures LUU-2 flares in Winnipeg for Royal Canadian Air Force search-and-rescue use.
AIM-7 Sparrow missile, Air-to-air missile, MunitionsMunitionsAIM-7 Sparrow missileAir-to-air missileSide: United States and South VietnamRole: Air-to-air interceptionBuilt: Raytheon / General Dynamics / United StatesThe AIM-7 Sparrow missile is a U.S.-developed, medium-range radar-guided air-to-air missile built by Raytheon and General Dynamics. The AIM-7E production branch made the Sparrow a Vietnam-era Phantom weapon, later AIM-7M/P rounds improved low-altitude and electronic-countermeasures performance, and SIPRI records AIM-7M transfers to Ukraine for air-defense aid.
AGM-45 Shrike, Air-to-surface anti-radiation missile, MunitionsMunitionsAGM-45 ShrikeAir-to-surface anti-radiation missileSide: United States and South VietnamRole: UnknownBuilt: Texas Instruments and Sperry Rand / Univac / United StatesThe AGM-45 Shrike was a U.S. air-launched anti-radiation missile adapted from the AIM-7 Sparrow to home on hostile radar emissions. It gave Wild Weasel and naval strike crews an early radar-suppression weapon, but its fixed-frequency seekers, narrow field of view, and lack of target memory meant crews had to plan around specific emitters and radar shutdown tactics.
10 remaining

Category

Naval Systems

Warships, submarines, unmanned surface vessels, naval craft, and maritime combat systems.

2/2
Naval Tactical Data System, Shipboard combat information and weapon-direction data system, Naval SystemsNaval SystemsNaval Tactical Data SystemShipboard combat information and weapon-direction data systemSide: United States and South VietnamRole: UnknownBuilt: Univac / United StatesThe Naval Tactical Data System was a U.S. Navy real-time shipboard command-and-control system developed in the 1950s to automate tactical data processing for missile-era fleet air defense. Built around militarized UNIVAC unit computers, Hughes display equipment, and Collins digital communications links, NTDS fused radar, sonar, communications, and ship-to-ship data into a shared tactical picture for combat information centers and weapon-direction support. Direct conflict-use accounts place NTDS-equipped ships in Vietnam War PIRAZ air-defense control and in Gulf War coalition airspace coordination.
14.5 mm 2M-5, Twin 14.5 mm naval machine-gun mount, Naval SystemsNaval Systems14.5 mm 2M-5Twin 14.5 mm naval machine-gun mountSide: North Vietnam and Viet CongRole: Motor torpedo boat close-defense and attack armamentBuilt: Tulamashzavod / Soviet UnionThe 14.5 mm 2M-5 is a Soviet deck-mounted twin KPV/KPVT heavy machine-gun installation designed for fast motor torpedo boats such as Project 123K/P-4 craft. It combined two 14.5x114 mm guns, local optical aiming, 360-degree traverse, and 80-round belts per gun in a compact manually operated naval mount, giving small boats close-range fire against aircraft, surface targets, and shore positions.

Category

Tanks

Heavy armor built around direct fire, protection, and battlefield shock.

1/1
T-54/T-55, Main battle tank / medium tank family, TanksTanksT-54/T-55Main battle tank / medium tank familySide: North Vietnam and Viet CongRole: North Vietnamese armored breakthroughBuilt: Uralvagonzavod / Kharkiv Locomotive Factory / Various manufacturers / Soviet Union / Poland / CzechoslovakiaThe T-54/T-55 is a Soviet tank family built around a low-profile tracked hull, four-person crew, and 100 mm D-10-series gun. It became one of the most widely produced tank families of the Cold War, with Soviet and licensed production spreading across Warsaw Pact and partner states. Direct conflict sourcing traces the family from North Vietnamese T-54 use in the 1975 fall of Saigon and Iraqi T-55s in the Gulf War to recent secondary fire-support, capture, and loss contexts in Ukraine, Yemen, Libya, Syria, Nagorno-Karabakh, Nigeria, and Sudan.